Based on information from the American Association of Suicidology, which certifies the Contact Hotline.

If you are considering suicide, please talk to someone you trust.
If you can’t talk to a friend or family member, call a mental health professional or a telephone hotline.

• If someone in your life is considering suicide
• How to be helpful to a person threatening suicide
• Facts about suicide

CALL 911 if you have already hurt yourself

Please consider this:

• Suicidal thinking is usually associated with problems that can be treated.

  Depression, anxiety and chemical dependency can produce serious emotional distress and get in the way of clear thinking. There is treatment for those underlying conditions. If your first attempt at treatment didn’t help, seek a different treatment.

• Maybe you think that suicide is the only solution. Other solutions do exist, even if you are unable to see them yet.

  Talking to a friend, a therapist, or a hotline counselor can help you see other choices.

• Suicidal crises are almost always temporary. Problems are seldom as great as they appear at first glance.

  Suicide is often called a "permanent solution to a temporary problem." You may be in the midst of a crisis but it won’t last forever. Intense emotional pain will pass. There are solutions.

• Looking at your reasons for living can help get you through your pain.

  Talking to someone can help you think about reasons to live or people and things you value. Reasons for living might include family, friends, God, nature, a talent or hobby, a lifelong dream or goal.

Do not keep suicidal thoughts to yourself!
Help is available. Find someone you trust and let them know how bad things are. Talk to a friend, therapist, clergy person or hotline. This can be your first step on the road to healing.

You are not alone
Nearly everyone at some time in his or her life thinks about suicide. Most everyone decides to live because they come to realize that the crisis is temporary, but death is not. On the other hand, people in the midst of a crisis often perceive their dilemma as inescapable and feel an utter loss of control. Frequently, they:

• Can’t stop the pain
• Can’t think clearly
• Can’t make decisions
• Can’t see any way out
• Can’t sleep, eat or work
• Can’t get out of the depression
• Can’t make the sadness go away
• Can’t see the possibility of change
• Can’t see themselves as worthwhile
• Can’t get someone's attention
• Can’t see how to get control

TALK TO SOMEONE – YOU ARE NOT ALONE

• Friend
• National Suicide Prevention Lifeline (800) 273-TALK
• Contact Hotline (315) 251-0600
• Community mental health agency
• School counselor or psychologist
• Suicide prevention/crisis intervention center
• Private therapist
• Family physician
• Religious/spiritual leader